Jets 5, Coyotes 2
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, -- Nikolaj Ehlers scored a hat trick and Dustin Byfuglien notched two of his own as the Winnipeg Jets dispatched the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 on Tuesday night at MTS Centre.
Ehlers scored twice 6:58 apart in the first period and once in the second as the Byfuglien scored twice in the second period as the Jets (22-24-3) snapped a three-game skid.
Right winger Blake Wheeler assisted on four of the Jets' goals, including all three of Ehlers'.
The Coyotes (24-20-5) found a lone goal through center Brad Richardson late in the second period. Starting goaltender Louis Domingue was pulled in favor of Anders Lindback following the second period after allowing five goals on 25 shots.
Arizona got into penalty trouble early in the first period as defenseman Michael Stone found himself in the box twice in 3:01.
After not registering a shot on the first power-play attempt, the Jets converted on the second as Wheeler's shot ricocheted off the leg of Byfuglien and right onto the tape of Ehlers for a 1-0 lead at 6:55.
Ehlers notched his second of the game and 11th of the season 6:58 later when Wheeler found the rookie with a pass that Ehlers batted out of mid-air.
Replays show the puck hit the post and the back of Domingue before settling in the back of the net.
The Jets struck again in the second frame, increasing their lead to 3-0 with Byfuglien's 13th of the season at 6:00.
The All-Star let a shot go from center ice, which fooled Domingue and ended up behind him.
Ehlers completed the hat trick at 14:31 as Wheeler once again found the rookie Dane.
The Coyotes got on the scoreboard just over a minute later as Brad Richardson notched his fifth of the season.
Byfuglien would regain the four-goal cushion at 17:43 on a short-handed breakaway with the Jets down two men.
Arizona got into penalty trouble early in the first period as defenseman Michael Stone found himself in the box twice in the first 5:30.
After not registering a shot on the first power-play attempt, the Jets converted on the second as Wheeler's shot ricocheted off the leg of Byfuglien and right onto the tape of Ehlers for a 1-0 lead at 6:55.
Ehlers notched his second of the game and 11th of the season 6:58 later when Wheeler found the rookie with a pass that Ehlers batted out of mid-air.
Replays show the puck hit the post and the back of Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue before settling in the back of the net.
The Jets struck again in the second frame, increasing their lead to 3-0 with Byfuglien's 13th of the season at 6:00.
Byfuglien let a shot go from center ice, which fooled Domingue.
Ehlers completed the hat trick at 14:31 as Wheeler once again found the rookie Dane.
The Coyotes got on the scoreboard just over a minute later as Brad Richardson notched his fifth of the season.
Byfuglien restored the four-goal cushion at 17:43 on a shorthanded breakaway with the Jets down two men.
NOTES: C Mark Scheifele returned to the Jets lineup after missing seven games dating back to Jan. 7 with a knee injury. ... Tuesday night's game was the last for the Jets and Coyotes before the NHL All-Star break ... D Dustin Byfuglien is the Jets' lone representative in Sunday's game in Nashville. ... The Coyotes won't have a representative at the All-Star Game after they traded F John Scott to the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 15. ... The Coyotes matched their win total from 2014-15 on Monday night, notching their 24th win of the season in a 2-1 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild. ... D Nicklas Grossmann returned to the Coyotes lineup after missing two games due to an illness. ... LW Christian Thomas made his debut in a Coyotes sweater on Tuesday night. Thomas was acquired from the Canadiens back on Dec. 15.